


Beginning

by andrastes_grace



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Canon: Fullmetal Alchemist Manga, F/F, Pre-Canon, Rare Pairings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-09
Updated: 2016-09-09
Packaged: 2018-08-14 02:02:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7994575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/andrastes_grace/pseuds/andrastes_grace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hoping to escape being shown family photos, Maria ends up running into Olivier Mira Armstrong</p>
            </blockquote>





	Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Originally published on tumblr, but without the full version of the ending.

Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes was famous in Central Command for his ability to corner someone with baby pictures.  Some poor private who hadn’t known what to say to the enthusiastic and family-orientated Lieutenant Colonel had once been trapped for two hours and had seen every picture of Elicia Hughes rumoured to exist.  Her friends were unsympathetic, pointing out that since the Lieutenant Colonel now greeted her by name it was likely to help with future promotions.

But this reputation was the reason that 1st Lieutenant Maria Ross, on seeing Hughes walking towards her, immediately turned around and walked the other way.  There were far too many things that she needed to do, and no time to get distracted by family photos.  Unfortunately for her she walked straight into Major Armstrong.

“Lieutenant Ross!” He greeted her in his typically loud and exuberant way.

“Major Armstrong,” she returned his greeting with a weak smile and a nod, trying to think of the best way of getting out of being drawn into a conversation with her overbearing commanding officer.

“Are you busy, Lieutenant Ross?”

“Actually, I –“

“Splendid!”

And with that she found herself being dragged into the Major’s office.

“We had a rare occurrence last weekend, Lieutenant Ross!” The man had no concept of an indoor voice and she took a step back.  “The entire Armstrong family were once again present in Central City!”

“That’s wonderful, Major, but I –“

“I have photographs, Lieutenant Ross!”  Maria groaned.  This was precisely what she’d been attempting to avoid earlier.

She was worried that she was going to have to look at photographs of his entire extended family, but luckily it seemed that it was only the immediate family who had been present at the gathering.

Most of them featured a girl who Maria could hardly believe to be related to Major Armstrong at all.  While he was all muscle and an overbearing personality that shone out even in photographs, she was small and delicate and clearly very shy.  The only things the two had in common was the blond hair and blue eyes.  Major Armstrong identified her as Catherine Elle Armstrong, his younger sister.  Her birthday had been the reason his older sister, Olivier Mira, had returned from Briggs.

“Your older sister?” Maria asked.  The photographs had shown a great deal of his parents, Catherine Elle and, of course, the Major himself (usually flexing for the camera) but none of the elder Armstrong.

“Indeed!”  He flicked through the stack of photographs and pulled one of them out, showing it to Maria.  She tried to stop the soft, shocked gasp but failed.

Olivier Mira Armstrong was beautiful.

She was in a black dress, her blonde hair hanging loose and her face was slightly turned away from the camera.  Judging from what was visible of her expression and the way Catherine gripped her arm Olivier was not happy to be in the photograph.  None of that diminished her beauty in any way.  Maria wondered what she'd look like in uniform, commanding the forces of Briggs.

Suddenly being made to look at Armstrong family photographs didn’t seem so bad after all.

 

After finally managing to leave Central Command, without running into any more overly enthusiastic men attempting to show off photographs of their family, Maria felt like she could really do with some lunch.  Her mind was still filled with thoughts of Olivier and she thought she was imagining things when she looked up and saw the woman in question walking towards her.

Oh.

She walked like she owned the world, her black greatcoat flapping dramatically in the wind around her and one hand rested on the hilt of the sword at her hip.

Maria wondered if she should introduce herself, or smile or –

Or walk into a lamppost.

Blushing, and clutching at her now painful nose, Maria prayed that this was not the first impression she had made with Olivier Mira Armstrong.

A part of her was hoping that the dashing Major General would sweep her off her feet and offer to tend to her wounds, but her pride was very thankful that the other woman kept walking, apparently not noticing her.

Maria picked herself up with a sigh, and brushed the dirt off her uniform.  It was probably for the best.  This would’ve made a terrible first impression.


End file.
